In many industrial, commercial, institutional and residential applications, machinery and facilities are subjected to environmental hazards and harsh operating conditions that expedite or otherwise induce mechanical failure or sub-optimal operation of the equipment, overheating, discomfort or unhealthy conditions for people and animals, and many other unwanted effects. Air or gas that is pervaded with particulates is one such hazard. The particulates can include coal dust, saw dust, metal dust, road dust, dirt, sand, pollen, and liquid contaminants as some examples. When the air and the accompanying particulates enter into the equipment, the particulates can disrupt or interfere with the normal operation of equipment, and thus cause its failure or sub-optimal operation. Similarly, when the particulates enter closed or controlled environments or systems, such as hospitals, electrical cabinets, homes, communications equipment, vehicles, and many other facilities, the particulates can create failure or safety issues. In other words, the particulates can also be harmful to humans breathing in the particulate-pervaded air.
Air or gas cleaning systems have existed for many years. Some operate with permeable barriers that entrap the unwanted particulates while permitting the cleansed air or gas to pass through. They inherently create an initial pressure drop, creating a restriction to the airflow, which worsens over time as the media entraps the unwanted particles, further reducing performance, increasing the consumption of energy, and causing wear and tear on blowers and other machine components. Moreover, these air or gas cleaning systems are expensive to operate and to maintain as the barrier entrapping the particulates must be continually cleaned or replaced. Other systems operate by manipulating airflow in various ways to induce the separation of the particulates from the air. The vast majority of these separation systems have an intrinsic downfall in that the particulates must be collected, emptied, and disposed of. Thus, there remains a need for improved filtration systems that more effectively supply clean air or gas from a source of particulate-pervaded air or gas while doing so more reliably, economically, and effectively for prolonged periods in industrial and other applications without the necessity that the particulate be collected and, often, without the need of a separate blower or other air-moving device.